The dawn of a new darkness
by Avakitty
Summary: A/U: Natsu is the Prince of Fairy Tail Hills. With his father missing he needs to take the throne. Lucy is a peasant girl living on a farm. Not long after her 17th birthday she is forced to stay with Zeref who has plans to use her against the Fairy Tail royalty. Can Lucy break free from the darkness she was pulled into? And most of all why was she chosen?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

**A/U:** Natsu is the Prince of Fairy Tail Hills. With his father missing he needs to take the throne. Lucy is a peasant girl living on a farm. Not long after her 17th birthday she is forced to stay with Zeref who has plans to use her against the Fairy Tail royalty. Can Lucy break free from the darkness she was pulled into? And most of all why was she chosen?

**A/N: **So. In the anime Lucy is seen as the 'princess' having come from such a wealthy family, I decided to switch it around.

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><p>The sun was slowly losing its pull over Earthland as the world sunk into darkness. Light faded slowly as a charcoal took its rightful place near the full moon. The ground was blanketed by dried leaves, crunching under the feet of a hooded man. He looked out at the water, bidding the sun a grateful farewell. A delightful feeling filled him as he felt the magical presence of someone behind him. The man turned to see a certain blonde haired girl standing next to a hallow tree. The branches of the trees were mere skeletons. The ground was brittle and lifeless. The withered grass bent over backwards in protest but there was no sign it would revive anytime soon.<p>

"Why did you call me here?"

Her voice was hushed and she looked nervous. The young girl could only see the outline of his jaw as he clenched it, there was a foreboding dwelling in her stomach and a malicious smile spread across his face. He had been waiting for this day, the only thing he could think of, was how he could get this girl to do his bidding, his material and sources were always correct. He could use many things, which could be the strongest to hold over her?

"Lucy Heartfilia" She shuddered at the sound of her name as it rolled of off his tongue. He took delight in her displeasure. "I have a proposal for you."

Lucy's eyes widened, what could this powerful mage want from her? It was true that she had gotten stronger slowly, but for someone of her station it wasn't very common, if at all to be a mage. Nobles and Royalty were often the only ones who managed to get the education and right amount of practice to be able to use magic and unfortunately for someone like her it was harder. She had heard stories about her family. Her grandmother was once a noble, it was how the magical blood managed to skip a generation and go to her. She was a weak person though, she couldn't understand how a person like her could help this man.

"W-What?"

Hades stood back in the shadows watching the exchange. He had a smug smile planted on his face. The utterly naïve and innocent girl seemed to be in some kind of shock, she didn't have proper manners when talking to his Lord, it annoyed him more than he let show. His jaw dropped slightly when his Lord removed his hood and looked deeply into the girls' eyes. Did he deem her that worthy of his time? Feeling resentment and more anger his arrogant smirk retreated as did the angered mage.

Lucy watched as the man revealed himself. She gasped pulling a hand up to her face. She had seen many posters of this man. The Fail Tail guards were looking for him. He was a criminal! He was a murderer! He was the infamous Lord Zeref, the dark mage. She felt panic rise in her as she backed away from him and against a barren tree. His eyes burnt into her. He raised an eyebrow and a low callous laugh sent a tremble through her. _'What did this mean?' _He clicked his fingers and watched as two hooded figures emerged from the darkness, they were dragging a person along with them. She could see the girl had blonde hair, it was wavy and a she had a rose in it.

Lucy's eyes widened, "MICHELLE!" She yelled attempting to rush to her aid. Zeref put up a hand halting her at once. She glared at the man fiercely. The Lord had an amused smirk, it seemed her fear had gone and he finally began to see the defiance shining bright and dominantly. It sent another wave of mirth through him. Finally he had gotten a proper reaction from her. Lucy's eyes tore away from the Lord and examined her little sister, she seemed to be unconscious. The Lord Zeref waltzed toward Lucy and gripped her chin pulling it close to his face.

"You will be mine, or I will end your pathetic sisters' life right now…" His voice dripping of cruelty, even if he had said it stoically, the threat would still feel serious. Something in his eyes told her that he was not to be messed with, nor was he one to throw around empty threats. Lucy looked at her sister as she moaned groggily.

"Okay, okay… Just… I don't want her to remember any of this…" Lucy pleaded.

Zeref looked at the pure worry filling in the girls chocolate eyes. He pondered the thought and after a moment nodded. He flicked a hand at his men who followed the girls' plea. Lucy let out a large sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto and then looked at her new 'owners' look of victory. It had seemed rather easy to get what she wanted. Zeref pushed the girl back watching coldly as she fell back onto the lifeless ground surrounded by dead leaves. Lucy was a light, she had something inside of her that would be dangerous to him. Looking desperately in the direction her sister had been taken she wanted nothing more than to run to her aid.

"You're leaving here, I'll give you 3 days to bid farewells,"

The man pulled the hood back over his head and disappeared in the darkness. Lucy rubbed the balls of her palms, she only had a few days to say goodbye? Swallowing hard and pulling herself off the ground and walked in the direction toward her village. She felt tears threatening to fall and despite her best effort to still them, the fell without warning. She had to leave her home and she had to go with this strange and scary man. She had family, and a strange feeling told her that he would hold them over her head for the rest of her life. She was never going to be free from him and she would forever alone. What terrified her most, was the unknown, and she had no idea what he wanted with her. 

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><p>Carla sat in her room in the castle, her silver hair cascading down her back. She had a sharp look, glaring with pursed her lips looking into a bowl of what looked like water. She dipped her index finger in it and swirled it around. For some reason, the fates began showing her a sun and in the very center of it was darkness strong enough to cover the world. She jumped and felt terror rise in her as the darkness in the light exploded sucking in everything and all into its destructive path. She let out a loud cry as she pulled her finger out of the water watching as it went from black to normal colored water. She felt something shift inside of her.<p>

Carla jumped from her seat and looked into the bewildered eyes of her Queen. Who looked startled, "My goodness Carla," she shuddered, "dare I ask what you saw?"

"Your Highness, the fates… The fates speak of an incredible… evil on its way…" The oracle looked at the water like it was a foreign object. Something she had never expected to see. The young Carla was only new to this business after her mother had passed on. She had taken up the role. She swallowed hard and then tried to blocking it out.

Queen Grandine watched the girl who began shivering, She had taken on a big role. What had startled her most was the fact that she had asked something about her son. She had asked if there was a possibility her Natsu would find happiness with his fiancé. She watched as the girl sat down unable to stand for much longer due to her shock.

"I… I'm sorry…" The small girl whispered.

"Carla, go rest for now…"

Rising from her seat eh Queen left first. She had to check on her daughter and son. They were in the middle of their studies, but Ntasu had a way of sneaking off and going straight for his hands on training instead of his written. It was rather frustrating trying to get him to sit in one place. She turned the hall and heard a rather loud explosion. Sighing and shaking her head she started toward the fire and where the help happened to be running from. Upon her arrival she raised her hand and blue wind spread to the fire extinguishing it quickly.

Grandine placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at her son, waiting for his explanation. He had been rather unstable lately, since the King had gone missing 7 months ago things had slowly started to get worse and not having a King sitting on the throne weighed heavily on the people. She needed Natsu to assume the position. She had a feeling that this was what the caused the explosion.

"MOTHER!" The boy bellowed as he pointed to his sister who happened to be in tears,

"Tell Wendy that she has no idea what she's talking about! She's lying! Father is not dead! He's coming back and he's going to take the throne again!"

Grandine's heart felt like it had stopped. She looked between the two as Wendy stood and ran into her arms. Natsu would never hurt the girl but their squabbles and disagreements about Igneels disappearance weighed heavily on them both. The older woman sighed and placed a hand on her daughters head as she cried into her arms. Neither of them wanted to believe that he was gone. Grandine couldn't find the right words to console them both. Her one and only love had left and someone needed to be on the throne. They all knew this.

"Natsu…" She said as she stroked Wendy's head comfortingly, "Igneel… He isn't here, it's been too long that the nation is without a King…"

Natsu's nostrils flared, she could see the damage of these words already and waited for him to throw another tantrum. She closed her eyes and waited for the impending rage. As her eyes closed she missed a certain white haired girl rush into the room and wrap her arms around the Prince. Confused, she opened her eyes and saw none other than Lisanna calming her son down. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Carla sat in her room in the castle, her silver hair cascading down her back. She had a sharp look as she pursed her lips looking into a bowl of what looked like water. She dipped a finger in it and swirled it around. For some reason, the fates began showing her the arrival of someone new.

"Natsu" she whispered.

He closed his eyes and then looked down at his fiancé. She was the only one who stood by his side. She was the only one who let him believe that his father was still out there. She was the only one. 

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><p>Lucy had basically sold her soul to this man. She believed that her sacrifice was worth it. She kissed her sister's forehead and forced a small smile. Three days had passed too quickly. Her father had been harder to convince, but she explained that she had to leave, that she needed to take a chance and find herself. She needed to find solid ground to build her life and find where she belonged. He had insisted that she was making a mistake and after three heated arguments he had conceded, finishing with,<p>

"I swear to you Lucy, if you leave, I disown you and you will no longer have the right to call yourself a Heartfilia!"

The words echoed through her mind, on constant repeat. Leaving Michelle was the hardest part in this. She would keep in contact with her somehow, even if she had to send one of her spirits to get an update every now and then. She looked at her sisters tear filled eyes and felt her own filling slowly. They had to be strong, she hated herself for this. Their mother had passed away when they were both young and now it was almost as if she had to abandon little Michelle too.

"Papa doesn't mean it Lu!" Michelle insisted, "He'll come around, please, just stay!"

Lucy shook her head and a sad smile formed on her face, "I need to do this Michelle," she said looking at her, she hated lying to her sister, to her family, but this had to happen. She kissed her on the forehead once more and the pulled away. She needed to leave now, she had to go otherwise it would just make this harder. She pulled up her small bag and then turned her back on her sister. She headed toward the empty path that led out of her village.

Lucy had walked along the path with tears streaming down her face, there was a pain in her heart that she couldn't place. She didn't want to leave, but the threat to her family was more important, and more than that, she couldn't fight this mage. Lost in her sorrow she hadn't been aware of the darkness surrounding her. She stopped when she heard his voice, his sinister chuckling. She swallowed hard and wiped her eyes. She couldn't been seen like this, even if it was too late, she needed to save face.

"Poor little Lucy." He said emerging in front of her in a cloud of smoke. He had his evil smirk on his face and in two steps was standing behind her. He snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her against him. She stiffened tensely at the contact and swallowed hard. She tried her hardest to hide her fear but her trembling seemed to give it away. He wasn't dull enough to miss it either cause he laughed a little more as soon as he touched her.

"Let's go home…" He whispered into her ear. The words sent a shiver up her spine, and not a good one at that. It seemed that everything about him was suffocatingly toxic. She blinked profusely when their surroundings shimmered and slowly disappeared. She looked around and saw that they appeared in a stone room with a giant throne sitting in front of her.

The arm wrapped around her was removed and she was quickly dropped to her knees coughing and spluttering as something strange felt as if it were crushing her ribs and the air she breathed grazed at her windpipe.

"What.." she coughed a few times, "What the hell!" She coughed more, "w-was.. that?" She demanded

The voice laughed and she saw Zeref quickly take his place on the throne laughing a little, "That my dear, was the effects of shadow travel" He laughed. "Did I forget to tell you to hold your breath?" He laughed callously and then clicked his fingers to see a shadow appear in front of him kneeling on the ground,

"You called my Lord?" The hoarse voice croaked.

"Show our new guest her room." He ordered.

The man turned and stalked toward her. Lucy's eyes widened and she fell back on her backside. She tried to move back fear inside of her forced her still. The man wrapped a hand around her arm and dragged her to her feet. She felt the pain in his grasp and did her best to rip it away from him. She managed to and glared at him, "I can walk fine by myself!" She challenged.

The man stopped and sent her a hard glare that made her reassess her chiding as he raised his hand and sent it barrelling toward her face. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. After a few seconds she opened her eyes slightly to see that Zeref was holding the guys hand and shuddering in fear, pain filled his eyes slowly as he let out an ear piercing scream. Lucy flinched and even as the sight was terrifying, she watched as blood began running down the guys face, in a few seconds he was crumpled on the floor, lifeless. Lucy looked up at the Lord of this place in shock, he protected her?

He clicked his fingers again and a new guy appeared, Zeref narrowed his eyes at him and sneered maliciously,

"Take her to her _room_, and if you lay one hand on her you will die a more painful death than him," he said as he kicked the dead body next to his foot, "no one is to harm this girl." He growled.

The man nodded and then turned to Lucy imploring her to follow. Lucy looked at Zeref and then back at the man before following him. She rubbed her arm and then looked down as a bruise had started to form already. She paced slowly behind the man and when they were out of the room she heard him click his fingers and order the corpse to be disposed of and taken away from his sight, mentioning something about 'filthy men' and 'his mage' it was all a little shocking that someone had everything he wanted with the click of his fingers. Was this what it was like to be noble or have power? If so, she didn't want anything to do with it. There was one question running through her mind constantly, why her?

After what felt like an hour they had finally reached what looked like a dungeon. She shuddered as the stench of rotting bodies filled her nose. The door opened and she was pushed into a cell. She turned around to look at the man who had a viciousness swirling in his black eyes. He slammed the door in her face and looked through a small semi-circle that had bars in it.

"Don't think you can use magic to escape princess, if that pathetic excuse for a King can't do it, don't fool yourself into thinking you can either."

King? There was a King here? She looked at the man who had already disappeared laughing down the hall. She banged on the door out of her own frustration. Everything was too messed up and for some reason it all had to do with her. She was getting caught up in her emotions as she sunk to the floor banging the door. Her tears rolled down her face freely. Her peasant's attire was getting dirty from the musky water. She closed her eyes and shaking her head. She wanted to be at home, in her small modern house telling her sister folk lore and stories of olde.

She felt a soft hand land on her shoulder, it different to all the others that she had felt since being here, it was a calloused hand but comforting. Lucy turned around to see a man with amber colored eyes and a soft sympathetic smile. Her eyes widened as she felt a comforting heat surround her. She wrapped her hands around the man and cried into his arms. He felt frail and weak, but his arms still held her tightly as she cried.

Zeref sat on his throne tapping his fingers impatiently on the arm chair as Hades walked in, he bowed deeply and kneeled in front of him, "Sir," he said looking up to him briefly before lowering his eyes back down to the ground, "Are you sure it's alright putting the Spirit mage in that cell with that man? He's been nothing but violent with anyone else…"

Zeref looked at the bug in front of him. This man had served him loyally and even resurrected him from his pensive and timid self, but he was questioning his motives? It was despicable. He waved a hand nonchalantly, all the other men they had put in there were spies, trying to get the man to talk. They had searched long and hard for this girl and she would be an asset to his cause. That old man could see through his plans. He scoffed and shook his head,

"Using her is going according to plan" He said dismissively.

Once her crying had stopped and her breathing had soothed she wiped her bleary eyes and thanked the man who forced a weak smile. She examined the man slowly, he was covered in scars and his clothing was ripped and unrecognizable. She pursed her lips and then turned to see if she had her luggage with her. She let out a triumphant shout when she had found it and rummaged through her things. She pulled out a root and then handed it toward him.

"It's not much, but it is a root from a tree back at our farm that is both filling and hydrating" she said smiling. The man looked at it tentatively and sniffed at it before taking it and finishing it in one bite. So she was right. This man was being starved. She felt something in her heart ache for him. She couldn't help him much besides doing that. She moved toward him cautiously and pulled her legs up to her chest placing her chin on her knees.

"Thank you…" she whispered softly. Her voice seemed to echo against the walls though, so her gratitude was heard. The man turned to her and nodded, she couldn't make out too much of the man, but something about him made her feel safe. The silence between them stretched and the heavy air was suffocating her,

"I don't even know why I'm here," she murmured.

The man looked at the poor little girl, she seemed in between the ages of his children. Something about her told him that even though she was a peasant she knew things she shouldn't and yet she was still incredibly naïve,

"Tell my child," his voice rumbled comfortingly, "what is it that brought this upon yourself?"

Lucy looked up at the man, his deep voice reminded her of one of the men in the village. She used to go to him and hear the stories, his voice was the type she could listen to all day long. It was soft, yet respectable and demanded a certain amount of respect but also gave respect. She thought of the events. The things that Zeref had told her, his visits to her in her dreams and his ultimatum, how did she end up here?

"The dark mage…" She started looking up at the ceiling. The story filling her mind, "It started after my 17th summer…" She shuddered remembering the night vividly.

"In my dreams I heard a voice, laughing, it told me that a well-known man would come for me… It said that I would have to go to him in 7 days… It showed me the place and how to get there and I… I thought it was just a dream… But every night I had the same dream, it told me different things, said that if I didn't go that they would hurt my family… That the underworld could drag my mother there… On the 7th night it had told me that my family and my village had all been drinking contaminated water and if I didn't go to that place on that night, they would all die…"

Lucy shuddered as she remembered the dream, "When I got to the place the man said that I had to go with him and that was when he removed his hood and revealed his face… Lord Zeref…" She closed her eyes trying to rid herself of the darkness that shone brightly in that mans' eyes. "He brought my sister out and said that I would risk her life if I didn't… That I had three days to inform everyone I was leaving and then on the second night I had a dream of where I needed to head and on the third day I was brought here by a cloud of darkness…" She whimpered a little and shook her head trying to rid herself of the thoughts and memories that lingered there.

The older man watched the young girl in slight amazement. It seemed that she had sacrificed herself in order to save the fates of the others, a trait that he hadn't known many peasants to have, that is to say, that he didn't know many peasants. He pressed his lips into a thin line and calculated carefully the reasons as to why they were put in the same cell. He knew how the mind of evil men worked and he understood why she was here. He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her blonde hair a little.

"I'm sorry for the unfortunate hand fate has dealt to you,"

Lucy looked up at the man and frowned. His eloquent words and the way he spoke seemed to be of a higher class than her. The pieces slowly came together when she remember that the man who put her here said something about a King. The closest and largest Kingdom by here was Fairy Tail Hills. She looked at the man with wide eyes, those eyes. She knew those eyes! She gasped and moved away from him before bowing deeply. What disturbed her most was the fact that a King, A KING, had been taken and placed in a cell here.

"Your majesty!" She said looking down at the ground and closing her eyes. She had cried on his shoulder and she had spoken so freely with him. Lucy felt mortified. The man let out a low chuckle and shook his head waving her off,

"Fear not, I am no King in this place, nor am I King of Fairy Hills no longer," he said looking at the door. His son should have taken the throne and everything should be somewhat peaceful. He hoped that his wife was feeling alright. Lucy shook her head though. She swallowed hard and then looked at the ground fiddling with a piece of fabric from her dress.

"The last news that we had received, week before last, was that the Prince had still not been crowned."

The man raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "That stubborn child," he cursed, "Pray, what is your name?" He said looking at her with mild curiosity.

Lucy bowed her head again… "L-Lucy… Lucy Heartfil-" she stopped and remembered her fathers words and slight grief filled her, "Just Lucy now…"

Igneel raised an eyebrow at the girl, "Why just Lucy?"

"My father…" she said feeling her emotions fall from her eyes, "In order to leave peacefully, I deceived my family into thinking I was going on a journey and refused to be engaged, my father said if I leave I no longer have a maiden name"

The old man placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him in shock, he smiled warmly at her and she suddenly felt a little safe, despite the cell they were in. "Your name is yours and yours alone, no one may strip you of that unless you allow it," the wise man mused.

A comfortable silence passed through them as they both sat next to each other. She looked around and saw chains connected to the wall. The stone that created their room was covered in mold and stained. There was a copper like shine to the floor and small pools of darkened, toxic water. The wooden door that had the little home in it seemed to be where the only light came from. There were bones littered around them and Lucy attempted to put them out of her mind. Lucy shivered to herself and silently prayed to whoever was listening to keep her family safe.

Igneel watched over the child with careful eyes. She had no business being in a place like this, yet here she was. He watched as her eyes closed slowly and her breathing slowed. He was glad that she could get a little rest instead of being awake in this pit. He placed a hand on her head and whispered a silent incantation as a slow blue light let his hand and entered the child from his hand to her head. His body felt weak after the small incantation he placed on her and he too closed his eyes and drifted off into the darkness of his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

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><p>It was another one of those days. Queen Grandine sat in her throne as the foundations of the castle trembled. She massaged the bridge of her nose as an advisor knelt at her foot. It seemed to her that it was harder to get Natsu to be mature and grow up. It was something she had begged her husband to address, 'let kids be kids, he won't be able to be like this when he becomes King.' Those were the words flying around her mind. The very words that hung heavily over her head as the trembling of the castle came closer and closer. There was no doubt in her mind that the angry Prince was on his way.<p>

"Your Majesty, I can deal with this, if you wish," A deep voice said looking at the ground.

Grandine waved him off, people that were close, almost like family, needed to stop being so formal when there weren't others' around to see it. She watched as the doors burst open and with fire in his eyes he bellowed some type of outrage. "As you wish Gildarts," she said massaging her temples and standing to her feet. She sighed and shook her head and left the throne room with the protests of her son loudly.

The older woman walked out the back, some would call it cowardice, however she referred to it as saving her sons life. Grandine was gradually reaching her limit for the childs' antics and her dragon was raging in her belly with each tantrum he threw, how could one be so immature? The mother didn't want to force her son on the throne, it's not like she didn't understand. He was still very young, still needed to grow and experience something more than being cooped up in the palace. This situation couldn't be helped, they were grasping at straws. Walking down the halls aimlessly, the Queen eventually found herself in the royal gardens. She strolled towards a bench that sat in the middle of the grassy plain surrounded by roses and tulips. The sweet scent of them all filling her nose and lulling her into a small peace.

"Mama," A meek voice called, bringing her out of her revere and saw the blue haired little girl. It was wrong to think of her as a little girl, Wendy was being a woman and if her height was no indicator it would have been the womanly curves that she seemed to be growing into. She let a small smile form on her delicate features as Wendy scooped up a small bouquet of flowers and handed them to her.

Mother seemed to be stressed and Wendy had no qualms about guessing what it was about. Her older brother was getting more and more volatile. His reluctance to take the throne seemed to be taking a toll on their mother. She too was tiring of this, however, if she put herself in Natsu's shoes she too was unsure about how she'd react. Her mother took the flowers and lifted to her nose. Seeing her mother like this showed Wendy her livelihood was waning, her age showed and for once the younger Dragneel girl came to the realization that losing their father had hurt her just as much, if not more.

"Mama, is there no way to hold off the coronation for a little longer?"

Her mother looked at her with sympathetic eyes, "I can try, but there's no telling what the elders will say"

Wendy pursed her lips into a thin line, "I'm sure elder Makarov will understand, plus, everything seems to be going well enough with just the Queen right?" If Wendy was being honest she would have mentioned that she wasn't sure about her older brother's choice of a wife. She liked Lisanna, however there was something that tainted the girl and she knew that she only wanted the throne. She questioned her girl's motives toward her brother. They had known each other since childhood and promised themselves to each other. Was it really love though? The pair sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, pondering over the future of Fairy Tail Hills.

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><p>Lucy felt herself being pulled out of her slumber by the sounds of footsteps trudging toward the door. She turned her head to see Igneel next to her sleeping. She wondered how long he had been down here. His body was ragged and under feed. Swallowing hard her eyes turned to see the door swing open and a man emerge from the darkened halls. She could feel the evil rolling off him in waves. It was the spine tingling badness that pulls at her warning instincts that told her who it was. The man wore his hood over his head and tilted his head at the scene.<p>

"It seems our King has welcomed the newcomer better than the last visitors he had," the man sneered. He turned his attention to the blonde haired mess who seemed to pull her legs closer to her, he removed his hood and smiled at her. It scared Lucy, there was no malice in his smile and it almost seemed genuine, he looked glad to see her. He walked into the cell and lowered himself to look into the girls eyes. He saw many emotions flowing through him and it delighted him. This girl really was pure hearted, in reality, he was disgusted. He offered her a hand and stood to his feet.

Lucy was confused, as she lifted her hand to place in his, she watched as it was smacked away from her. The King looked up at Zeref defiantly. He only smirked in amusement, "I didn't think you had that much fight left in you Igneel," the mark mage pondered, he let out a low laugh and watched as a fierce scowl passed his face,

"You have no right bringing an innocent into this mess Zeref," his voice dripped with a malice Lucy had never heard before.

Undaunted Zeref only shrugged his shoulders and took Lucy by the elbow, dragging her to her feet, "I have no idea to what you speak of Igneel, she came of her own free will and offered herself to me," he laughed as he pulled Lucy into him and spun her around. He pushed her head to the side and kissed her bare neck, taunting the King. The cracking of knuckles filled the silent cell as Igneel clenched his fists until they were pale. Lucy found it amazing how this man could worry about her when he seemed to be in worse shape. They needed the King for something, and that much was obvious to the girl. She feared for his life when they got what they wanted. Zeref gripped Lucy's chin and turned her head to look at Igneel.

"Would you trade your life for hers?" He asked. Lucy couldn't muster the emotions to be afraid. The emotional turmoil she was feeling started to tax her will to fight. Before the older man could answer Zeref stopped him, "Even when you still have a life to get back to, a family… Your son has been causing much chaos… I'd hate to see you waste your life on a peasant when it's obvious you're needed elsewhere."

Lucy felt the grip on her jaw slacken. She swallowed hard and turned her eyes away from the legendary King. She couldn't look in his eyes when he would disregard him for the duty of the country. It didn't bother her that much, her station was not one worth mentioning, however, it hurt to know that her life was as insignificant as it felt. Igneel didn't answer, Zeref let out a laugh and shook his head, "You're weak! A dragon of your status should not value the life of a human, oh how you've fallen from grace." Zeref sneered.

That event played over and over in Lucy's mind. She sat next to Zeref in his throne room as he spoke 'business' with his advisors. She still didn't understand why she was in this place. What significance did she hold in this world? The young girl recalled the events that had happened. She placed two fingers on her neck, where the dark Lord had kissed her, what did this mean? Lost in her thoughts she missed a person addressing her. She turned her head when she felt a soft hand on her wrist. She trained her eyes on the hand and followed it up to the face it came from.

Zeref was watching the girl carefully, she looked shocked for a moment. Lucy was more than disorientated how had such a gentle touch come from a man who had locked people up? Who had threatened to kill her sister? She looked around to see the man in front of them grinding their teeth. Had she been asked a question? Shaking her daze away she forced a small smile and looked at Zeref, "Sorry what happened?"

"You should pay more attention, I don't repeat myself" He said with a sardonic smile and tilted his head. Lucy nodded and frowned a little, she looked at the men who seemed ready to wring her neck. That daft blonde, she was stomping all over Zeref's kindness, none of them could understand his attitude toward the girl. How was it that they had been serving him loyally and yet this wench is forced into his company is treated better than her? She wasn't even listening to him! It was ridiculous.

"Status update on the Prince?" Zeref said. Lucy seemed to pay attention this time.

"The Prince seems to be getting more and more volatile. His dragon is close to awakening"

"I see," Zeref said humming a little to himself, "And what of the Queen?"

"She is at her limit, but seems to be holding up the kingdom in an orderly fashion,"

Zeref nodded and then dismissed them. Once they were gone he turned to Lucy and for a few short moments they only stared at each other. Lucy noticed his face a little more and that if the evil was taken from him, he would most likely look like an innocent boy. She noted that his features were defined and he was rather good looking, in that dark and creepy, villain type of way. Something about the bad boy attitude and looked enticed her, though she refused to travel down that road. He lifted his hand and traced the outline of her jaw.

"W-what are you doing?" Lucy questioned,

"I heard your wish…" Zeref commented looking in the large darkened room wistfully, Lucy frowned, this was getting all to strange,

"I-I don't understand…"

Zeref looked back at the girl and shook his head, he seemed to be recalling some memory that she had forgotten. Lucy only watched him as he re-told her story.

* * *

><p><em>It was a cold winter morning and Lucy had woken up early with a childish excitement that only a 6 year old could have. She rushed outside to see soft white specks in the sky and slowly falling. She giggled to herself unaware of the morning chill. She pushed her tongue out of her mouth and felt a quick icy chill that disappeared as quickly as it came. She rushed to her sister's side and shook her.<em>

"_Shellieee, Mish-shelliee! Wake up! The snow!" She giggled._

_Michelle groaned a little, rubbing her eyes groggily. It took a few moments before she realized what the day was. Her little sister jumped up happily. Lucy made sure that her little sister was dressed in warm enough clothing and together the rushed outside and played in the snow. They laughed happily and made a snow man. To them, it didn't matter that the size of his body was smaller than the other parts of him. The girls had learned early on not to take things for granted. Living the life that they had, their biggest lesson was that the simplest things could be enjoyed._

_They played until the morning light and watched the sun rise together sitting in their shared bedroom from their small window. It was a day that they would always remember. Their happiness was broken slightly when they heard the villagers arguing with a rather loud and rambunctious male. They didn't have to look to know who the man was. Together they rushed to their door to see their father thrown at the entrance. A few men spat on him, one kicked him in the side and the girls tried their best to drag the drunken man into the house._

_It was the day their father had drunken crawled into the house with tears in his eyes. Lucy had never seen a sight like this before. He broke things and angrily shouted at them. They had never known fear until now, Michelle was crying in her older sisters arms and the words were acidly spewed out of his mouth,_

_"Your mother is dead! And she died last night!"_

_Their world was rocked, their father unstable. It took the whole day for Michelle to cry, she didn't understand, Lucy didn't understand. Did that mean that they would never see her again? Why did Daddy act this way? Once her younger sister had fallen asleep, Lucy ran out of the small house, she felt like she was suffocating. She ran and ran and ran until her little feet couldn't move anymore, until they were frozen._

_Landing on her knees in the middle of the forest the girl managed a wail of pain that seemed almost too much for such a small being. She looked up at the clouds cursing whoever it was that had brought on this pain. She had seen her mother slowly get sick, mama couldn't even get out of bed sometimes. She was six._

_"I wish…" The tear stricken girl mumbled to the heavens, "I wish that someone would take me away from here, forever…"_

* * *

><p>Lucy looked at Zeref, her chest twinging at the pain of the memory. She chewed her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around her chest. Zeref had heard her wish? Did that mean he was there? Lucy had never forgotten that day, she did forget about her wish. She had fallen into the snow and woke up the next morning in her home. It was the new morning, when she had seen her sister trying to dress herself, that she would live for the sake of her and that she would take up the role of her protector. It was the following day of her mother's death that she had promised herself to live for herself.<p>

"Oh," was all she could manage. Zeref watched the girl in amazement, there seemed to be no resentment or no hate in her eyes. How could she remain so pure after seeing her father treated in such a way, to see him turn on them? He had gained an interest in her and as he watched her grow he had come to realize her danger to his very existence.

"You fainted…" He said looking at the roof, "Such a small helpless thing, felt so much pain…"

"D-Did you save me?" She questioned. Zeref gave her a small look and although he did not confirm or deny it, she felt something in the look he gave her. He had saved her that night… She owed her life to this man… This evil man had saved her. There were so many things flying through her mind that she couldn't keep up. She massaged her temples.

"I don't understand you…" Lucy whispered

Zeref picked her hand up and kissed it. She pulled it out of his grip and looked at where his lips and softly kissed her. She blinked at it blankly and then looked between the man and her hand. She rubbed her eyes and then pursed her lips.

"I-I think I'm feeling a little tired…" She murmured standing and rubbing her eyes. Zeref clicked his fingers and then looked at the man as if they were having a silent conversation. They nodded and then the man Zeref had brought in led her to another room. She was in such a daze that she didn't even realize where she was being guided. There was someone flinging soft words at her but Lucy just couldn't focus. She was led to a room and when the door closed behind her she snapped out of it. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the lighted room.

"Wow…"

The room was a beautiful red and gold, it had a four poster bed that looked as if it could swallow her. There were giant mirrors and beautifully carved dressers and wardrobes. She took a few steps forward and then looked at the double doors that led her here. She placed a hand on the door and twisted it seeing that she wasn't locked in. She turned her attention back to the extravagant room she was in. Swallowing hard she strolled toward another door. Tilting her head she opened it and gasped. She was in a bathroom that was twice the size of her house. That wasn't saying much, but it had a large bath into and the décor was something out of a palace. She walked to the bath and dipped a hand in the water that seemed to be in there already.

Lucy felt a genuine smile spread across her lips as she slowly undressed. She dipped a toe into the water and after giggling a little she emerged herself in the water. Was the warmth enveloped her she felt tension in her body relax, tension she hadn't been aware of. Her life had changed, her life had changed to the point where she couldn't even stay focused. What had happened? She left home and effectively got disowned. She was forced into living with an evil man who placed her in a dungeon with a King he had captured. Then after threats of murder and the like, he started showing her kindness.

Lucy, having lived a mostly solitary life aside from her family, didn't receive much kindness. She was a peasant and aside from that it was dishonourable that she wasn't raised by a woman. Somehow her mothers' death was her fault. She had befriended an elder in the village, he was well known for his stories and tales of old. The young girl had heard about her grandmother through him. She pulled her legs up to her chest, huddled into a ball she took a deep breath and sighed. She had taught herself magic, when she had gotten her keys the spirits had taught her what else she needed to know. She closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the water.

The door to her room slammed and she jumped with a slight yelp. She heard footsteps stomping into the room and then she moved from the water and before she could reach for a towel she was stunned to see a pink haired guy walk into the bathroom. There was a moment when his eyes stunned stared at her and his eyes lowered slowly as appreciatively examined her body, curves and all. Lucy quickly grabbed the towel and looked around the room. She picked up the first thing she could reach and threw it at him. She screamed in outrage and then covered her eyes.

"What are you doing in here!?" She bellowed. The man sensitive to noise blocked his ears, he turned around and closed his eyes, but the image was branded in his mind. It wasn't quite what he thought he'd find in his room when he came in here to get away from his family and fiancé. The girls squawking slowly faded and he figured she was silent to allow him to explain that it was _his_ room that she was in. When he turned around the girl was gone, but her scent remained. He frowned and walked into the room. "What was that?" He searched the room and the bathroom but the girl was not in sight anywhere. What kind of magic was that?

Lucy was still chastising the pervert that was in her room, she found it strange that he hadn't retorted. She opened her eyes and found herself in a darkened room. She turned her head and found a shadow in the corner of her room. She pursed her lips and walked toward the bed that had clothes laid out nicely for her. There was a satin dress on the silk sheets of the bed.

"This is your room Lucy, don't go wandering into the Prince's chambers just yet" The shadow chided. She blinked up at him clutching her towel, wrapping it around her body. She saw a man emerge and she backed up a little. The man had sharp teeth that peeked out of his mouth and overlapped his bottom lip. She could feel fear as the man neared her. He stopped when they were almost toe to toe and nose to nose. Her eyes widened but she couldn't seem to move away from him.

"What is it that the master sees in you?" The man whispered as he brushed one of her saturated locked behind her ear. He tilted his head examining her collarbone and neck. She was a rather beautiful specimen and playing with her mind a little didn't hurt. She looked up at him with and he could hear the sound her heart picking up, pounding against her chest.

"I-I don't know…" she murmured.

He glared at her fiercely and griped her chin tightly, pulling her face closer to his, if that was even possible. She gulped. The man had hate in his eyes and it was directed toward her. Was he jealous? She felt the pain on her chin from his hand as he tightened the grip. He threw her towards the bed and looked at her with disgust. She was a pitiful ant, he couldn't wait until the order was sent to kill her. "Get changed," he hissed and then left the room slamming the door loudly.

Lucy jumped and then placed a hand on her chin. She looked at her hands to see they were shaking and her vision blurred. Her knees started to shake. The young girl in the darkened room rubbed her hands over her face and squeezed her eyes shut. She chanted to herself that it was going to be alright. She took her time trying to compose herself, she couldn't be weak, or appear weak. She needed to be strong. She took a few deep breaths and slowed her racing heart. She was terrified, picking up the dress she chewed on her bottom lip and nodded with determination. Lucy was not going to be scared anymore.

Lucy found a mirror in the room she was in and examined herself in the dress that had been laid out on her bed. It was a red dress that accentuated her body in all the right places. It hugged her tiny waist and had a black belt under her bust. She tied her hair in a half up, half down style with little strands left out on the sides to frame her face. Her eyes were slightly red from her little break down and she had a slight bruise on her left cheek. She pushed the negative feelings that dwelt in her belly and tried to find her smile.

Once ready she walked to the door and opened it to see that Zeref was approaching her. His eyes looked her up and down resting on her face. A frown plastered on it when he came close enough to see the bruise on her face and then he noticed the other bruise from his servant on her arm. She was a beautiful sight but the bruises made her look as if she had been beaten domestically. He narrowed his eyes and then clenched his teeth.

"Zeref?" Lucy questioned, his expression was unpleasant and she could feel the fear inside of her rising again. The man strolled closer to her and gently touched her face, she winced when his thumb trailed over her bruise and turned her head away from him. He sighed and took her hand. This wasn't going exactly according to his plan.

"Let's go eat,"

Lucy nodded and followed behind Zeref.

* * *

><p>Dinner with Zeref was like a dream, she had been dining with him for about four weeks. Going between her room and searching the castle they were in. She had sat by his side as they updated Zeref on the things that had been going on in the kingdom. They seemed fixated on something and the constant thing was that Natsu, the Prince, was a ticking time bomb. She had never met him, she refused to judge him based on what these people said. Her kind treatment was only from Zeref, his men would sometimes get out of line and bruise her, but they were never around after that. She assumed that Zeref had stationed them elsewhere. That's what one would do when they didn't get along with others right?<p>

In that time she had forgotten that he was the man that had forced her away from her family and home for the short meal and enjoyed it. Her smiles seemed to reach her eyes and she laughed like there was nothing wrong. She was truly something different. In all his immortal life he had never met anyone like her. Here she was surrounded by bad people and yet she managed to find a bright side. She hadn't been suspicious of the food that they ate nor had she been rude or accuse him of letting her get hurt. It angered him that his men had disobeyed his order and laid a hand on her. Lucy was his toy, his pawn to use, not theirs and he had made it abundantly clear.

This dinner was a little different, he had explained to her that it wasn't his intention for her to be injured and that he had a proposal for her. She would be granted freedom with enough money to buy her family back into nobility again if that was what she wished. He would give her enough to live comfortably for three generations. The offer seemed almost too good to be true for the girl that she almost cried at his generosity. However, if she refused then she would most likely lose her family and her soul.

"I want you to kill the Prince of Fairy Tail Hills…" Zeref said staring seriously into her eyes.

Lucy gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. The events leading up to this seemed to fade, she remembered that this guy was the bad guy. Her eyes widened, "W-what?" Her voice was laced with innocence and frailty. Zeref was not about to admit his real motivations about why he wanted the Prince dead, but he did tell her that he was volatile.

"You heard the conversations about the Prince earlier?" Lucy nodded

"He's becoming unstable and when that happens his dragon soul becomes irritated and angered. As the Prince and soon to be King he will turn to the evil and darkness…" Zeref said his eyes lowered as he moved his food around in his plate.

Lucy watched the man in confusion, wasn't that a good thing for a guy like him? Wasn't he evil himself? She was about to voice that very opinion when she saw his face soften. She saw that his normal red eyes that he'd had the whole time faded to a black.

"The darkness and evil wasn't all that I wanted, right now, I'm happy to rule in the shadows. I'm not a very good person, I've done many bad things. I've given up on destroying the world but if Natsu Dragneel's dragon is to win over his humanity then he will destroy the world…"

It was a frightful thing. She swallowed hard and then looked at him, but why her? She couldn't kill a field mouse, to think about killing a person was something entirely different. Zeref stood from his seat and walked over to her. He knelt in front of her and took her hands.

This man owned her, he had even saved her life. She owed everything to him and he was kneeling in front of her. She shook her head, "I-I can't do it…" She whispered. "I can't take the life of another being"

There was a darkness she felt in the pit of her stomach. Zeref narrowed his eyes at her. He had been nothing but nice to her, stopped her from getting hurt. He stood and his eyes turned a brilliant red as he flipped the table. His voice was low and malicious. He yelled at her and she flinched, this was the evil that he had been hiding from her? She closed her eyes but couldn't block out the sounds. She felt pain on her body and yelped as she felt her hair being pulled. She opened then to see she was being dragged by her hair away from the Lord of the place who seemed to be throwing a tantrum.

She knew where they were heading when she could smell rotting flesh. _'How did I forget about this place'_ she thought to herself. She inwardly cringed as she heard the door to a cell open and was flung carelessly at a wall. She felt pain surge through her body as the tip of a boot connected with her ribs.

"Bitch, I've been waiting to do this since you first got here," another kick.

"Stupid bitch!" He yelled. Another kick.

She was grabbed by the hair again and pulled up to look into the eyes of a man. He had a scar down his left cheek and dark grey eyes, they were lifeless. There was nothing good in them and it terrified her. She body felt like it was on fire and her lip was quivering. She refused to make a sound. She wouldn't satisfy him with her pain, she had heard from the story teller in her village that callous men like the sound of other peoples' pain. She sealed her mouth as the onslaught continued. He was heaving when was done, he hadn't been satisfied. She was silently crying throughout the whole thing. Giving up for today he exited the cell and slammed the door behind him.

She cried and once the man was gone she heard the door open and someone else being thrown in with her and the door slam closed again. She stayed where she was curled safely where she was. A hand touched her forehead and then her wrist. She was pulled up and let a yelp out as she was moved. There was a growl rumbling in the chest of the person who wrapped his arms around her. She used her hands and held into his shirt desperately and the arms tightened slightly. Lucy felt herself snap and finally let out her painful cries. The person who held her 'shh'ed her and comforted her despite the smell and pain and everything bad, she felt safer._ 'Thank you, whoever you are.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Okay. So this is going in a direction that I wasn't expecting. I am hoping to get away from this doom and gloom situation soon. I enjoy causing my characters pain and suffering to overcome._  
><em>


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